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As dog bite awareness week begins and Virginia dog attack rates rise, Attorney Big Al urges Virginia residents to take preventative steps to prevent injuries. Whether you’re a dog owner or not, you can help these rates from increasing by putting some common-sense safeguards in place.

Attorney Big Al, Alon Barzakay

We’ve seen an uptake in these cases across Virginia that we’re concerned about, especially since good dog security is fairly easy to set up.

Richmond, VA (PRWEB)June 01, 2016

Dog Bite Awareness week, which takes place on the third full week of May each year, is in full force, and Attorney Big Al of the 1-800-HURT-123 firm encourages Virginia residents to do their part to help prevent dog bites. In the wake of increasing dog injury rates this spring, every citizen can take simple and effective steps to secure dogs and stay safe.

About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year. This puts children playing on the street, kids wandering into a neighbor’s yard, and mail carriers at special risk for violence by dogs. “Dog bite cases happen much more often than you’d expect,” Big Al remarked. “We’ve seen an uptake in these cases across Virginia that we’re concerned about, especially since good dog security is fairly easy to set up.”

Attorney Big Al suggests that dog owners should follow some basic techniques to ensure that pets don’t ever hurt anyone. First of all, dog owners should never leave dog tied up in the front yard. Tethered dogs are bored and not stimulated, so they’re more likely to injure someone walking by. If a dog shows any aggressive tendencies at all don’t wait for something to happen. Keep the front door shut, and put the dog in another room when greeting strangers and acquaintances at the entrance.

Because many victims of dog bites are children, it’s critical that parents teach their kids basic dog body language so that they don’t upset or surprise a dog. Animals will lash out most when they’re surprised or scared, so children need to understand not to rush up to a dog and try to pet it. Similarly, establish animal no-touch zones with the children the same way children are taught to respect human bodies: teach not to touch the eyes, groin, and nose of any animal.

These basic safety precautions can keep Virginia dog bite rates from increasing. Always remember that any dog, regardless of breed, can bite, so treat them with respect and caution. Pet owners can easily secure their dogs and prevent more accidents from occurring.